The invention relates to a method for operating a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle has a hybrid drive device which includes an electric machine, an internal combustion engine and a particle filter assigned to the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine being temporarily operable for regenerating the particulate filter. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle.
The hybrid drive device is associated with or forms a part of the motor vehicle. By means of the hybrid drive device, a torque which is directed to driving the motor vehicle can be provided. The hybrid device has a plurality of drive aggregates which are preferably configured differently. For example, the electric machine is provided as a first one of the drive aggregates and the internal combustion engine is provided as a second one of the drive aggregates. The plurality of drive aggregates are configured or operatively connectable so as to be able to generate the torque directed to driving the motor vehicle at least temporarily together. Thus it is for example possible to generate the torque only with the electric machine, only with the internal combustion engine or with the electric machine and the internal combustion engine together.
The particle filter is provided for cleaning exhaust gas generated by the internal combustion engine during its operation. With the particle filter, particles present in the exhaust gas, in particular soot particles, can be filtered out of the exhaust gas. These particles accumulate over time in the particle filter. When the internal combustion engine is designed as a diesel combustion engine, the particle filter can also be referred to as a diesel soot particle filter.
In order to remove the particles accumulating in the particle filter, it is necessary to regenerate the particle filter. Preferably, the particles are thereby combusted. For this purpose, the internal combustion engine is operated, for example, so that the temperature of the exhaust gas causes the particle filter or the particles present therein to strongly heat up, resulting in combustion of the particles. Correspondingly, regeneration of the particle filter requires operation of the internal combustion engine. In a motor vehicle with a hybrid drive device, however, a driver of the motor vehicle expects that significant portions of the drive are electric driving phases, i.e., time periods, in which the motor vehicle is driven solely by means of the electric machine.